Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung@ 40 in Ghana be deepened to improve the current state of affairs on gender equality promotion and the way forward. 2. 0 Gender Equality in Policy-making and Implementation in Ghana. Similar to many other countries in the world and in Africa specifically, Ghana has signed onto many international and regional agreements and conventions. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for example, is an important document that seeks to promote the political, social and economic rights of women. Article 7 of the Convention specifically calls on“state parties to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country”. Even though some efforts have been made to promote women's rights, it is obvious that the Ghanaian state has not succeeded in honouring its obligations under the 1992 Constitution, the CEDAW commitments and those under the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its Outcome Document( Beijing+5), as well as other international instruments to promote gender equality. In Ghana, as a result of the low priority given to women's participation and representation in politics and public life, women are unable to sufficiently demand accountability as collective and individual actors, policy–makers are therefore largely uninformed about women's needs and preferences leading to a situation where gender responsiveness is largely lacking from areas such as health, water, energy, education, agriculture and employment. With specific reference to women, a number of laws have been passed over the years to enhance their well-being. These include the Marriage Laws, Intestate Succession Law PNDC 111(1995)(which is being reviewed). Amendments of the criminal law contained in the Consolidated Criminal Code also have provisions to protect women from harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation. 26